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DEAL WATCH: Keurig K-Express | 22% off $69.99

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  • Introduction

  • Overall Design

  • Front

  • Back

  • Sides

  • Stand/Mount

  • Controls

  • Remote Control

  • In the Box

  • Black Level

  • Peak Brightness

  • Contrast

  • Tunnel Contrast

  • White Falloff

  • Uniformity

  • Greyscale Gamma

  • Color Temperature

  • RGB Curves

  • Motion Performance

  • 3:2 Pulldown & 24fps

  • Resolution Scaling

  • 3D Effect & Experience

  • 3D Black & White

  • 3D Color

  • 3D Crosstalk

  • 3D Glasses

  • Formats

  • Viewing Angle

  • Reflectance

  • Video Processing

  • Calibration

  • Video Modes

  • Connectivity

  • Placement

  • Audio Quality

  • Menu Interface

  • Instruction Manual

  • Internet Features

  • Local Media Playback

  • Other Media

  • Power Consumption

  • Value Comparison

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Motion

  • Viewing Effects

  • Connectivity

  • Other Comparisons

  • Value Comparison

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Motion

  • Viewing Effects

  • Connectivity

  • Other Comparisons

  • Value Comparison

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Motion

  • Viewing Effects

  • Connectivity

  • Other Comparisons

  • Conclusion

  • Model Series Comparison

  • Photo Gallery

  • Ratings & Specs

  • Introduction
  • Overall Design
  • Front
  • Back
  • Sides
  • Stand/Mount
  • Controls
  • Remote Control
  • In the Box
  • Black Level
  • Peak Brightness
  • Contrast
  • Tunnel Contrast
  • White Falloff
  • Uniformity
  • Greyscale Gamma
  • Color Temperature
  • RGB Curves
  • Motion Performance
  • 3:2 Pulldown & 24fps
  • Resolution Scaling
  • 3D Effect & Experience
  • 3D Black & White
  • 3D Color
  • 3D Crosstalk
  • 3D Glasses
  • Formats
  • Viewing Angle
  • Reflectance
  • Video Processing
  • Calibration
  • Video Modes
  • Connectivity
  • Placement
  • Audio Quality
  • Menu Interface
  • Instruction Manual
  • Internet Features
  • Local Media Playback
  • Other Media
  • Power Consumption
  • Value Comparison
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Motion
  • Viewing Effects
  • Connectivity
  • Other Comparisons
  • Value Comparison
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Motion
  • Viewing Effects
  • Connectivity
  • Other Comparisons
  • Value Comparison
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Motion
  • Viewing Effects
  • Connectivity
  • Other Comparisons
  • Conclusion
  • Model Series Comparison
  • Photo Gallery
  • Ratings & Specs

Introduction

Overall Design

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The overall look and feel of the {{product.model}} is very slick and sleek, with an uncluttered front and attractive casing that won't stick out like a sore thumb.

Front

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Back

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Sides

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Stand/Mount

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As a nice bonus, the stand of the {{product.model}} swivels, allowing easier access to the rear ports and cables. The base does collect fingerprints very quickly though.

Controls

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The manual controls on the {{product.model}} are frustrating, to say the least. It's not often that we're given a TV with a breaker on the unit itself, but that's exactly what Sony has done here. Despite its mendacious branding of an "ENERGY SAVING" switch, the {{product.model}} really makes a rather ambitious lie in order to snare the attention of the eco crowd.

Remote Control

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The remote control of the {{product.name}} is identical in every way to that of the KDL-55EX720, and carries with it the same pitfalls, like the very ill-placed auxiliary power button that's easy to accidentally press.

The remote itself is a bit bulky, but it isn't uncomfortable to hold unless you use the channel or volume buttons quickly after using the internet control buttons near the top of the remote. Despite all this, the options the remote grants you are actually quite nice, and the addition of a Netflix button greatly expedites use of the movie-streaming service on your TV.

In the Box

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The {{product.name}} comes packaged with the TV, user manual, stand, remote, adapters and batteries.

Black Level

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The {{product.model}} does have an impressive black level for a modern LCD TV of 0.07 cd/m2. When determining contrast ratios, a low black level is very important. More on how we test black level.

Peak Brightness

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In addition to the low black level, the {{product.model}} also produced a great peak brightness of 323.12 cd/m2. It's worth noting that in order to view comfortably in a brightly-lit room, you'll only need your TV to have about 200 cd/m2 brightness, and anything beyond that is just gravy. More on how we test peak brightness.

Contrast

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Due to its good scores in both peak brightness and black level, the {{product.model}} has a very wide contrast ratio for an LCD TV. Great job, Sony!. More on how we test contrast.

Tunnel Contrast

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As you can see from the chart below, the {{product.model}} had minor issues in maintaining a consistently dark black level, regardless of how much or how little screen area occupied by black there was in our tests. You probably won't notice this too much, but if you think that the blacks get lighter at certain points, your eyes aren't fooling you. More on how we test tunnel contrast.

White Falloff

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Like most other LCD TVs, the {{product.model}} had no issues here, maintaining an almost perfectly consistent level of brightness, regardless of how much or how little screen area occupied by white there was in our tests. More on how we test white falloff.

Uniformity

Greyscale Gamma

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When we test greyscale gamma, we look at two aspects of our charts before scoring a TV’s performance: the smoothness and slope of the line. The smoothness of the line tells us whether or not there were certain values of signal intensity that the TV simply couldn’t produce, or if they were produced incorrectly. Ideally, the slope of the line should lie somewhere between 2.1 and 2.2, but depending on a TV’s performance, this may vary. If it does, that means it doesn’t quite produce the ideal values along the greyscale, which can result in lost detail, especially in shadows.

For the {{product.model}}, only minor issues here to report: the measured greyscale gamma wasn't bad, but it wasn't exactly good either. If you look at the provided chart, you'll notice that the line closest to the darkest end of signal intensity has jagged points and inconsistent slope, indicating that there were some brightness values the TV simply couldn't produce. If you're a {{product.model}} owner, you can expect some loss of detail in a dark picture, or in shadows. In addition, the slope of the line is 2.67, while not horrible, is a far cry from "average". More on how we test greyscale gamma.

Color Temperature

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Another one of the odd quirks of the {{product.model}} is a problem with color temperature warming. Throughout a large range of signal intensity, the level of color temperature error is visible to the human eye, but you may not notice it simply by virtue of the fact that it is so consistently bad. More on how we test color temperature.

RGB Curves

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As a break with its other measures of color performance, the RGB curves of the {{product.model}} weren't actually that bad. There was a tiny issue with the curves peaking exactly one or two values too early, but you won't notice that in all likelihood. Overall, the lines were relatively smooth, and that was enough to net a good score here, even if the blue curve was off. More on how we test RGB curves.

Below are the {{product.model}}'s RGB curves represented in a color strip, as compared with the ideal response and the responses of all three comparison models.

Motion Performance

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The {{product.model}} nets a low-average motion score here, as it struggled with maintaining picture quality in motion, and added in a slew of artifacts that were unable to be corrected with any of the video processing features loaded onto the set. Considering how expensive this TV set is, we'd expect a little better showing here, but the artifacting issues were too much to ignore. More on how we test motion performance.

3:2 Pulldown & 24fps

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Keeping consistent with the problems mentioned in the motion performance section, the {{product.model}}'s native 3:2 pulldown processing feature does an average-at-best job at handling film content. In moving high-frequency patterns, the {{product.model}} showed worse strobing and artifacting with the feature on than when it was forced off. With the feature turned off, the {{product.model}} handled film content at an acceptable level of performance, but again, nothing very impressive. More on how we test 3:2 pulldown and 24fps.

Resolution Scaling

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Due to the fact that not all external content is the same resolution, we test how well each TV set handles the task of rescaling images of differing resolutions. Below is a summary of how the {{product.model}} handles each common NTSC resolution. More on how we test resolution scaling.

480p

The {{product.model}} lost 3% of its image to vertical overscan, and 2% of its image area to horizontal overscan while displaying 480p content.

720p

While displaying 720p content, the {{product.model}} lost 2% of its image area to horizontal and vertical overscan. In addition, it displayed some false coloration in high-frequency patterns.

1080i

Oddly enough, the {{product.model}} showed the same loss of 2% of its screen area horizontally and vertically to overscan, as well as showing significant interference in high-frequency patterns.

3D Effect & Experience

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Overall, the 3D effect given by the {{product.model}} isn't too bad, but it isn't all that great either. We've yet to see an LCD TV really compete with plasma screens in this regard, and the {{product.name}} is no different: it struggles with motion, making a stuttery image that just looks mediocre. It's no secret that we haven't really come around on 3D TVs yet, as they don't seem to perform all that well so far, but we'd rather pay less for a TV that performs better without 3D.

Some of the options in the 3D menu

3D Black & White

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It's not terribly surprising that the originally wide contrast ratio of the {{product.model}} dropped significantly when viewed through 3D glasses, as you're essentially wearing sunglasses while watching TV. As you can see, the peak brightness dropped to an incredibly low 29.2 cd/m2, thus cutting the contrast ratio to 490:1, which is actually pretty good for a 3D TV.

3D Color

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Much like its performance in 2D, the 3D color performance of the {{product.model}} is poor, with a giant warming problem that makes a noticeably bad color temperature error throughout the entire range of signal intensity.

The RGB curves for the {{product.model}}'s 3D mode were beautiful for a 3D response. Though the blue was dark for a majority of the range of signal intensities, it's not surprising given the poor performance it gave us in the regular 2D testing. Overall, the lines were smooth and relatively uniform, so you can expect decent color performance out of your set.

The 3D color gamut is also good, showing only a tiny shift in color values in comparison to the 2D responses we measured earlier. This is a pretty good performance, all things considered.

3D Crosstalk

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3D pictures on televisions (with active shutter glasses) work by sending two separate images, one to each eye. When we talk about crosstalk, we're referring to the propensity for one image leaking into the field of view of the other, meaning part of the image intended for one eye showing up in the other. Active shutter glasses have varying degrees of success in minimizing this, but it's almost never perfect, and can be the single biggest contributor to a breakdown in the 3D effect.

The {{product.model}} had minor issues with crosstalk, with black-on-white and white-on-black giving us the worst problems. Overall, it's not a bad performance, but 3D TV technology has a long way to go before crosstalk is brought down to a point where it's hardly noticeable.

3D Glasses

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Perhaps the greatest argument for buyers of 3D screens against active-shutter systems is how prohibitively expensive each pair of 3D glasses is. Surprisingly enough, the cost of Sony's active-shutter glasses has come down a bit, and right now they're retailing for about $70 on Amazon, which is a load cheaper than what they have been in the past. They still won't catch polarized glasses for a long time, but at least some small gesture has been made in this regard. Still, do you really want to shell out $70 a pair for 3D glasses when the set only comes with one? If you have the money, by all means go for it, but these things are expensive.

Sony's 3D glasses themselves aren't too cumbersome, but they're certainly a ways off from being comfortable, especially for those of us who wear prescription glasses. Also, there's really not much you can do to customize the fit or allow for a differently-sized head.

Yes, you will look like a dork with these on

Formats

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The {{product.model}} has a native resolution of 1080p and can display all standard NTSC resolutions.

Viewing Angle

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The viewing angle of the {{product.model}} is fairly poor, which is typical for an LCD-screened TV. Even though most marketing materials will tell you that a TV has some ridiculous viewing angle like 178 degrees, the fact of the matter is that the {{product.model}}, like a good many LCD TVs, will lose over 50% of its contrast at an angle of 21 degrees from center on either side.

Reflectance

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The {{product.model}} has a somewhat reflective screen, but it does a good job on minimizing glare and reflection brightness. When a strong light source is pointed towards the screen, it appears a bit subdued, which reduces the annoyance factor greatly.

Video Processing

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The {{product.model}} has a handful of additional video processing features, some more helpful than others. Among these, Sony tucked away a really awesome feature: LED local dimming. For those of you who aren't familiar with this feature, if you have an LED backlight, it's possible to program the TV to dim or brighten each light-emitting diode depending on the picture in front of it, boosting the effective contrast of the picture without actually changing the performance or programming of the TV. It's not perfect, as it can lag a little bit from time to time, but it is pretty cool to mess around with if you want an even wider contrast ratio.

When we enabled the LED Dynamic Control setting in our tests, the {{product.model}}'s contrast ratio exploded, giving us a deepest black of 0.01 cd/m2, and a peak brightness of 311.13 cd/m2, for a total contrast ratio of 31113:1. Granted, it isn't realistic to expect this to work well with content that has a lot of motion in it, but still pictures and slow-moving pictures might benefit from this video processing feature. If you own this set, you may want to play around with this a bit before deciding if you want to keep it on, as it can get distracting in moving pictures.

Calibration

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The {{product.name}} isn't too difficult to calibrate, and once you find the picture settings menu, it's fairly straightforward to to calibrate the set to your liking. Because our testing protocols dictate certain requirements, we turned all additional video processing off for our tests, unless otherwise indicated. For example, we kept the LED Dynamic Contrast off for basic testing, but we ran the black and white tests again with it on, for the sake of being complete in our analysis. Depending on your preferences, you may or may not elect to use our calibration or a different selection of video modes.

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All of our calibration is done in conjunction with the DisplayMate software.

](http://www.displaymate.com/)

Video Modes

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Depending on the viewing environment you will be using your TV set in, the {{product.model}} comes pre-loaded with video modes.

Connectivity

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The {{product.model}} has a decent number of ports on the back of the TV set, although some of the connections require an annoying adapter.

On the back of the set, you'll find all of the ports, even though they are split up between two oddly-facing panels on the casing. Facing downards are 2 HDMI ports, an ethernet port, and the component/composite hybrid port (which requires an adapter).

The side of the {{product.model}} is home to a different selection of input ports, including the 3.5mm analog audio in/output options, 2 HDMI ports, 2 USB ports and an S/PDIF output port.

Placement

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We realize that the placement of ports was intended to work around the difficulties associated with mounting your screen to the wall instead of keeping it on a free-standing mount, but the placement of these ports is just awful. Not only is it near-impossible to see the ports you need should you be able to reach them, but because they're split up and placed much closer to the center of the unit in the back, you'll have an extremely difficult time managing your connections.

Audio Quality

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We don't usually expect a lot out of TV sets in terms of having a good sound system already inside the set, and the {{product.model}} really doesn't do much to make us reconsider our position. The audio quality is fairly bad, and by no means a replacement for a 5.1-channel surround sound system. If audio performance is a big deal to you, our suggestion is to look for another TV set, or for separate sound system altogether.

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The menu interface of the {{product.model}} is essentially the same as the other internet-enabled TV sets fielded by Sony this year. While some might like the layout and navigation of the litany of options, we found this menu system to be overly-complicated, annoying to navigate, and it downright ruins what tiny sliver of joy you may have left in your viewing experience with this TV.

It's bad enough that there are several settings just buried under an avalanche of unnecessary submenus, but it's even worse that the most commonly-changed settings are harder to find than near-useless online features. We gave credit where credit is due in our scoring, but at this point Sony might want to consider scrapping this menu system altogether in favor of older, simpler ones.

Instruction Manual

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The {{product.model}} has two versions of its instruction manual, a print copy and an iManual that allows you to access it from your internet-connected television. The print copy is, for the most part, incomplete at best. We realize that this wasn't intended to be what most users look through, but we also know that not everyone will have their TV connected to the internet all the time, and should that be the case, it's probably better to have a complete manual that you can read instead of being left in the dark.

A manual for so many TV models, they have to be further categorized by type.

Internet Features

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If you love streaming content on your TV without the added expense of an HTPC or a separate streaming device, the {{product.name}} has got you covered. Not only does it have a litany of Yahoo! apps, but Sony has also partnered with all the big names like Facebook, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, YouTube and others for a decent selection of streaming content. While some features (like the Netflix button) are easier to find than others, you shouldn't be left wanting for more until something new comes out. In the event of this happening, we imagine Sony will probably update its system software to keep you covered.

The remote allows for great control of streaming video content, like YouTube videos and Netflix movies, but the search functions for each are just plain awful. We realize that it's difficult to figure out a good way to interface with the internet via a TV remote, but Vizio figured it out pretty easily, why can't Sony?

The YouTube playback is a wonderful thing.

Perhaps our biggest gripes lie with the internet browser, which didn't work for us, and how certain apps are split from other content in the frustrating menu of the {{product.model}}. Once you figure your way through this annoying labyrinth of submenus, you should be very pleased with your media streaming experience (if you don't use the browser).

There are also plenty of games to download, free and paid, new and classic

Local Media Playback

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The local media playback (photo, video and music) was very obviously an afterthought on this model. The browsing interface is bad, diplomatically speaking, and it's seriously a crapshoot whether your photos will work all the time. The music playback interface is so boring and inflexible that you're likely to not use it very often.

Other Media

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The {{product.model}} does not support any other media.

Power Consumption

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The {{product.model}} actually does a fairly good job in terms of limiting its power draw. With the backlight at the minimum recommended setting, it typically draws only 66 watts, or a projected $12.89 a year under normal viewing.

Compared to other competitive TVs, the {{product.model}} did pretty well in terms of power consumption, as you can see from the chart below.

Value Comparison

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While the {{product.model}} has an MSRP of $1799 and the Vizio costs about $400 less, you'll be getting improved screen size, picture performance and a less reflective screen in return. In terms of bang for your buck, you're probably overpaying for either set in this matchup.

Blacks & Whites

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Here, the {{product.model}} absolutely trounced the smaller Vizio. Not only did the {{product.model}} have a much lower black level, but it also has a giant contrast ratio by comparison, regardless of how much brighter the Vizio's screen may be.

Color Accuracy

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Due to its significant issues with color temperature error, the {{product.model}} lagged behind the Vizio considerably in color performance, despite their near-identical scores in RGB curves and color gamut.

Motion

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Neither TV impressed with motion performance, but the Vizio technically did better. Don't read into this too much, as both TV sets left much to be desired here, and the Vizio is better by simply "not being bad."

Viewing Effects

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Neither screen did so well in terms of viewing angle, but the Vizio had a slightly wider viewing angle.

Connectivity

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Both TV sets fare pretty well in terms of connectivity, but the Vizio has an extra HDMI port that the Sony does not. If you absolutely have to have 5 HDMI ports, the Vizio is the better bet, but chances are good that you probably don't need it.

Other Comparisons

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The 3D effect in both TVs is pretty lackluster, as they are both edgelit LCD screens. In addition, the crosstalk is far worse in the Vizio, so beware if you choose to buy the smaller set over the Sony.

Value Comparison

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Sporting an MSRP about $300 less than the {{product.model}}, the Panasonic TC-P50ST30 gives you more bang for your buck, with very little in the way of tradeoffs.

Blacks & Whites

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While both the Panasonic and the {{product.model}} have wide contrast ratios, the Panasonic struggles in brightly-lit rooms, as it cannot produce a picture brighter than the requisite 200 cd/m2. While both TV sets do well with picture quality, users who intend to watch during the daytime might want to stick with the {{product.model}} here.

Color Accuracy

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The Panasonic left the {{product.model}} in the dust in terms of color performance by not being plagued by color temperature error problems, and having a simliar RGB performance. It's also worth mentioning that the color gamut of the Panasonic TC-P50ST30 was also much more accurate than that of the {{product.model}}.

Motion

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Neither TV set did well with motion performance, but the {{product.model}} did better by score alone. Though the scores differ by about 2 points, don't take that to mean that either did well in this category; they are both bad at handling motion.

Viewing Effects

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One of the major advantages plasma screen TVs have over their LCD brothers is a comparatively giant viewing angle, and as you can see in the chart below, the Panasonic's viewing angle absolutely dwarfs that of the {{product.model}}.

Connectivity

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The biggest advantage the {{product.model}} has in terms of connectivity is the additional analog audio input/output ports on the side of the set, but otherwise, neither set has a definitive advantage over the other in this regard. You can't really go wrong with either, unless you want to use headphones at night. If that's the case, stick with the Sony.

Other Comparisons

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In terms of 3D performance, it's hard to beat the TC-P50ST30. As we've found in the past, plasma screens handle 3D content in motion and crosstalk much better than LCD screens do, and the TC-P50ST30 does exactly that: the {{product.model}} just doesn't stack up well in this regard.

Value Comparison

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Both the LG 47W5600 and the {{product.model}} are similar in MSRP and can probably be found at similar prices online at different vendors. For a pure value comparison, you're not going to find much about either set that will tip the scales from an objective standpoint outside of the fact that the {{product.model}} uses active shutter 3D technology, and the LG uses polarized lens 3D glasses. There are advantages and drawbacks to both (namely, the polarized lenses are extremely cheap, but halve resolution), but TVs so far have not done so well handling 3D content, so keep that in mind.

Blacks & Whites

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By producing a much lower black level, the {{product.model}} nets a much better black and white performance among the two sets, and consequently has a much higher contrast ratio.

Color Accuracy

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While the {{product.model}} has a better RGB curve performance, the LG doesn't have the same difficulties with color temperature error, and in fact at no point along the range of signal intensity is the LG's color temperature error very noticeable to the human eye at all.

Motion

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Both TVs were about equally bad with motion performance.

Viewing Effects

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Both LCD screens, the LG and the {{product.model}} don't have very wide viewing angles, but the LG will offer you 5 more degrees on either side than the {{product.model}}.

Connectivity

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Even though the {{product.model}} has a good amount of analog input ports, the LG has more. It's not really a big deal, but if that sort of thing is important to you, you should know that the LG will be able to handle multiple audio sources a little better than the Sony. Otherwise, the two sets are extremely similar in regards to input and output ports.

Other Comparisons

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While comparing the 3D in these sets is a little bit apples and oranges, the performance of the {{product.model}} is a bit better by virtue of the fact that active shutter 3D glasses work better than polarized lenses because they don't cut out half of the resolution of the screen when you watch TV with them. However, that's not to say that they don't have their downsides, as the polarized lenses are much cheaper than the {{product.model}}'s $70-a-pop glasses, making it much easier to have a few friends over and let everyone in on the 3D experience.

Conclusion

The {{product.name}} is a 3D LCD TV with a mid-range price and an entry-level performance. While it does have a good contrast ratio, it underperforms in a few key areas like color temperature and motion performance that should give the consumer pause if they're looking for a TV that will give them the performance you'd expect from a TV at its price. That being said, it has a great range of online multimedia options, and it will never leave you wanting more if streaming content is important to you.

It's a little mystifying as to why its performance is so inconsistent, but then again, whenever a TV has a 3D feature, it tends to boost the price considerably. While Sony has done things like reduce the cost of the 3D glasses a bit, you're still paying an unreasonably high premium on this technology in its infancy (as far as home-use TVs are concerned), and truth be told: we're not huge fans of the current level of 3D performance.

Model Series Comparison

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The Sony KDL-xxNX720 series consists of three television sets, the KDL-46NX720, the KDL-55NX720 and the KDL-60NX720. All are LED-edgelit LCD screens in the 1080p format, and all are capable of displaying 3D content.

{{photo_gallery "Front Tour Image", "Back Tour Image", "Sides Tour Image", "Stand Photo", "Controls Photo", "Remote Control Photo", "Connectivity Tour Image 1", "Connectivity Tour Image 2", "Connectivity Extra Photo", "Menu Main Photo", "Menu 2 Photo", "Internet Features 1 Photo", "Internet Features 2 Photo", "Internet Features 3 Photo", "Local Media Playback 1 Photo", "Local Media Playback 2 Photo"}}

Ratings & Specs

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Meet the tester

Chris Thomas

Chris Thomas

Staff Writer, Imaging

@cthomas8888

A seasoned writer and professional photographer, Chris reviews cameras, headphones, smartphones, laptops, and lenses. Educated in Political Science and Linguistics, Chris can often be found building a robot army, snowboarding, or getting ink.

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